“I don’t-” She started, then stopped, then swallowed and lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t do this. Normally. I mean, I’ve done this. Of course. Just not…not with a guest. It’s not very professional.”
“I think we’ve established that, at least between us, the professional aspect of innkeeper-guest possibly doesn’t apply. What with that whole lifesaving-rescue-dinner part.”
“I know it’s been a bit unorthodox so far, but, I just meant that, it’s not how I’d normally, how I’d prefer to-”
“Would it help if I told you that this guest doesn’t mind being an exception? And, don’t worry, he’s not looking for any special favors from his hostess.”
“Define ‘special favors.’”
His grin was slow, and oh so lethal to whatever was left of her sanity. “I’m not trying to duck paying room and board by giving up my bed for yours,” he clarified.
“You already paid for your room and board.”
“For a few days, yes.”
“Are you planning on-”
“Extending my stay? Possibly.”
There was a part of her mind that was still standing a bit separate from what was actually happening, trying to process everything, make sense of it, help her make rational and wise decisions. But the larger part of her brain, and pretty much all of her body, were totally in the moment. And they wanted what they wanted, and damn the bigger picture.
“And what would you be basing this decision on?”
“A number of things.”
“Such as?”
“Such as I have some decisions to make, some pretty big ones. And I want the time and space to think things through, make sure the conclusions I draw are sound and suit me. And those I care about. This seems like a pretty good place to do that.”
It so wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting. She’d fully expected him to say whatever he had to say to get his immediate needs met. She was honest enough to admit that it would have worked with her. “You confuse me,” she said, quite bluntly, and perhaps not entirely wisely given where her immediate needs were concerned. But if he was being surprisingly frank and open, no reason not to follow suit. “You have since you got here yesterday.”
“How is that?”
“Oh, there’s a list.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “Really? I’m that much of an enigma? I think I’m pretty straightforward. God knows I have been with you. No hidden agendas.”
“Right. I don’t know you, at all really, but that much I’m getting.”
“What do you want to know?”
Everything, was the first thing that came to her mind.
Absolutely everything.
Chapter 6
So, clearly he was much further out of practice than he thought where the opposite sex was concerned. He’d been fairly certain at dinner last night, and pretty much a hundred percent certain this morning, that he wasn’t the only one having wayward thoughts of a sexual nature. So much so, that, what the hell, he’d decided to act on them, see what happened.
Brett hadn’t exactly thought things through much beyond that, but then, he’d sort of thought the direction would more or less establish itself. And he’d work from there.
He should have known that, where Kirby was involved, nothing was going to be simple. Had he admitted as much to himself, perhaps he’d have rightly talked himself out of making any moves whatsoever.
He really did have some important things to consider. And she was definitely clouding that process. It would be convenient to tell himself that this was all about cloud clearing, and using seduction as a means of regaining focus. Except he’d never had any problem focusing before. He was very, very good at that. Hence his current bank balance.
And he’d had his hands on her now…and his mouth. Well, on her neck anyway. Which had proven to be far more lethal than one would suspect. All warm and sweet and soft…with that rabbit punch of a pulse quivering against his lips. Told him a lot. A lot more than she was telling him, anyway.
At the moment, she was stalling. And he was letting her. Because he meant what he said about not forcing her. But…he wasn’t exactly letting her go, either. Was he?
“You come tooling up on this huge Harley, all dressed in leather. But you wear cashmere and keep your hands in better shape than most women I know. And every guy I know. So yes, you’re a bit of a paradox.”
“Well, the leather keeps the bugs from stinging and the dust from choking. Not to mention providing a far more decent barrier to road rash than the jeans and T-shirt I was wearing underneath them. As for the hands…” He paused, and used those hands to slide up her waist, then cup her elbows, and urge her arms up around his neck. “Occupational hazard.”
She frowned a little. But didn’t move her hands from his shoulders when he circled his back around her waist. As foreplay went, it was admittedly not what he’d been picturing…but he wasn’t any less turned on because of it.
“So, what, you’re a hand model? Or all model? I mean, you certainly could be. Would explain the tan, the body, the lack of modesty.”
When he spluttered a laugh at that last part, she instantly blushed.
“I said all of that. Out loud. Right out loud.”
“You did. And I’m flattered. I think. Although I’m far more modest than the amount of clothing I’ve worn the past twenty-four hours would imply. I claim special circumstances. I also claim to not mind it as much as I’d thought I would, had someone told me I’d be spending most of my time half dressed around a woman I’d just met and found intriguing.”
She snorted.
“Did you really just…snort at that? I was sincere.”
“You certainly always sound sincere. I’ll give you that. In fact, that’s another part of the enigma.”
“Meaning…what, exactly?”
“Meaning for a dusty, leathered-up biker dude, you’re actually rather soft spoken and polite.”
“When you’d have expected what, exactly?”
“I don’t know. I guess a fill-in-the-blank cliche. I don’t actually know any bikers.”
“Which cliches would those be?”
“Tall, dark, and Clint Eastwood-like silent. Or brash, cocky, maybe a little crude.”
He smiled a little. He did that a lot around her. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh, but you didn’t. I think…I don’t know. Like you said, intriguing.” She paused. “Wait, what did you mean about me intriguing you? What about me could possibly be intriguing?” She lifted a hand. “Wait, that sounded like digging for compliments. I was actually just curious.”
“You’re not what I expected, either.”
“You have certain expectations of your innkeepers?”
He felt her hands tense a little, where they still rested on his shoulders. She wasn’t holding on, much less coming on-more like holding in place. In fact, she seemed so caught up in what they were saying, he wasn’t sure if she realized she’d been toying with the ends of his hair. Normally he’d say that was a direct type of flirtation. She seemed more…distracted. Until that last comment. “Why did you tense up just then?”
She looked him square in the eye. “You’re not a serial killer, right? Because that would be my karma. I don’t even know what I did to earn a snow-less winter, much less a complete jackass of an ex, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything in this life to warrant it ending with me being hacked up into little pieces. So just tell me you’re
